Accuracy Check Policy

The Missourian's policy is to check most local stories for accuracy. The purpose is to catch errors and misunderstandings before publication. Reporters show or read to a source enough of the story to make sure it accurately represents the information that was shared. The purpose of an accuracy check is fact-checking and clarification. It is not designed to let sources edit or put spin on a story.

Comments Policy

The Columbia Missourian welcomes your active participation on our website, and we encourage you to interact with us and each other. Our aim is to create a space for open dialogue between the many diverse voices of our community, and we hope that you will analyze, comment on and challenge the content you find here.

By submitting a comment to one of the Missourian’s publications, you are consenting to the following terms of engagement:

Don’t use obscene, profane or vulgar language.

Profanity is prohibited. Any words, phrases or references that cannot be broadcast on daytime television will not be allowed in our comments. Mentions of or links to obscene or vulgar material will be removed.

Don’t use language that makes personal attacks on fellow commenters or discriminates based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or ethnicity.

A personal attack is a comment that insults another commenter personally; for instance, their intelligence, marital status, health, upbringing, etc. In order to encourage intelligent discussion and debate, we do not allow name-calling. You may disagree with another person’s ideas or opinions, but you may not disparage them on a personal level.

You will be required to register with our site, with a valid e-mail address, in order to comment. All Columbia Missourian publications are committed to a policy of transparency and openness. In that spirit, your first and last name will be attached to each post you make. You may note that this is consistent with our policy on using anonymous sources in our news stories: An anonymous source may only be used in the rare cases and only with the approval of a top editor. Comments are like letters to the editor in print; once they’re published, they stay in the Missourian’s archives and will be removed only if we deem them in violation of our policy.

Don’t solicit or promote businesses.

Comments are to be used only for noncommercial purposes. You may not solicit funds or promote commercial entities.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to remove a comment and also to revoke a user’s privilege to post content on our site. Please be aware that we cannot and will not review every single comment posted on the site immediately. If you see a comment that you believe violates this user agreement, please let us know by clicking on the “Report a Problem” link. Posts will not be removed automatically, but we will investigate all reported problems.

Opinions expressed in comments are not necessarily those of the Columbia Missourian and its staff, and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any posting.